Assessment and Education, Health and Care Planning

​The majority of children and young people with SEN or disabilities will have their needs met within local mainstream early years’ settings, schools or colleges through the resources delegated to them by SEN Support funding.

SEN Support: where a child or young person has been identified as having special educational needs, schools should put in place a four part cycle of Assess, Plan, Do, Review. This is a graduated approach to understanding the child or young person’s needs and removing their barriers to learning.

What if SEN Support is not enough?

Sometimes a child or young person needs a more intensive level of specialist help that cannot be met from the resources available and this is the time to consider an EHC needs assessment. Some children may require an EHCP assessment very early on and in these cases the local authority should liaise with the appropriate professionals and start the process without delay. Anyone can contact the SEND Team to ask for advice on the best route to requesting an EHC needs assessment; this will most often be through a multi-agency meeting with those involved, at the educational setting (e.g. school). Following this meeting, either the educational setting or the parents may submit a request. If the young person is over 16, they can ask for an assessment themselves. An EHCP brings the child or young person’s Education, Health and Social Care needs into a single, legal document. The child or young person must have special educational needs to be eligible for a plan.

SEN Threshold Guidance

This document is based on the ‘Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0-25 years, statutory guidance for organisations which work with and support children and young people who have special educational needs or disabilities.’ January 2015.

It should be read alongside this code and other local guidance such as:

The guidance is intended to be used by schools, AfC officers, health professionals, social care professionals and families. It is a guide to the difficulties and challenges that pupils are likely to be experiencing when identified as needing special educational needs (SEN) support or statutory action (that may lead to an education, health and care plan (EHCP). The aim is to ensure transparency and parity between schools in terms of identification and ensuring clear expectations regarding the support provided at each step. Any specific interventions or assessments named in the guidance are intended as examples rather than as endorsements or requirements. Needs and strategies included in this document are not intended as checklists, but as guidance that can be interpreted flexibly according to the needs of the pupil.